Realtek AC'97 Driver

Some users of earlier Windows versions experienced difficulty getting their hardware devices, such as audio, to work. Installing device drivers is a simple fix to this issue.

Realtek AC'97 Driver is the official driver package from Realtek Semiconductor for the AC'97 audio codecs that were built into many motherboards and notebooks in the early and mid-2000s. These codecs handle the analog part of onboard sound, such as the speaker, line-in and microphone jacks. The package installs the audio driver together with the Realtek audio control panel. Realtek describes the drivers on its website as general drivers, so a motherboard or notebook maker may offer a customized version with extra features for a specific model.

The driver is free, and the package comes with an InstallShield setup wizard that guides you as you set it up. The last Windows release of this package is version A4.06; Realtek later moved its onboard audio to High Definition Audio codecs, and the AC'97 line is no longer developed. MajorGeeks dates the A4.06 release to February 2008.

The AC'97 standard supports variable sample rates, and the Realtek codecs provide stereo or multichannel output of up to 6 or 8 channels, depending on the chip. The A4.06 package is intended for Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP and Server 2003; for Windows Vista and Windows 7, Realtek offers a separate AC'97 driver (version 6305) on the same download page, where you can also find older AC'97 drivers for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 and a Linux driver for kernels 2.4 and 2.6. You will also need to be sure that your machine's sound chip is compatible with the Realtek software.

Compatible chips include: ALC101, ALC201, ALC201A, ALC202, ALC202A, ALC203, ALC250, ALC650, ALC653, ALC655, ALC658 and ALC850. Realtek offers this package in 32-bit and 64-bit editions, the installer is about 18 MB, and the driver is mainly useful for older PCs that still run one of the supported Windows versions.

Free official driver package that makes onboard Realtek AC'97 audio work on older Windows PCs.

Features:

• Audio device driver designed for Windows users experiencing issues with their audio devices
• InstallShield setup program that installs the driver and the audio control panel
• Required operating system to run version A4.06: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003
• Download size: about 18 MB